While largely recognized for its strong military hardware roots, Sukhoi introduced their "Superjet 100" line of regional passenger airliners in 2011 with launch customer Armavia of Armenia. In June of 2013, the concern managed a new milestone when it passed examples of its Superjet 100 to the first western customer in Mexican Interjet. To date (2013), twenty-eight examples of the twin-engined, all-modern airliner have been produced and this through a once-unheard of international effort with participants including European and American firms. 234 units are on order with some sixteen having been delivered to date (2013). Intended operators are Aeroflot, Finance Leasing Company, Lao Central Airlines, Orient Thai Airlines, Sky Aviation, Moskovia Airlines and Transaero among others. The Superjet 100 is produced under the Sukhoi Civil Aircraft banner.

The Superjet 100 program involves technology and input from a variety of major defense industry players such as Alenia Aermacchi of Italy, SNECMA of France, The Boeing Company of the United States, Thales Group of France and Honeywell of the United States. United Aircraft Corporation of Russia is the primary contractor with engines split between SNECMA of France and NPO Saturn of Russia. Western marketing is also assisted by Alenia Aermacchi through the Superjet International brand label.

Sukhoi developed the Superjet 100 to not only compete with western passenger offerings glutting the global market but also to replace the aging fleet of Soviet-era Tupolev Tu-134 and Yakovlev Yak-42 airliners (recognized in NATO nomenclature as "Crusty" and "Clobber" respectively). As such, the Superjet 100 manages a fully-modern, all-glass digital cockpit, fly-by-wire control and engines having been introduced as recently as 2008. The cockpit includes five large color displays through a clean instrument panel and a console separating the two crew. Controls are of the side-stick variety providing a very modern look. The passenger cabin showcases a single aisle with seats flanking the walk and overhead compartments as normally seen on other aircraft of this type. Its overall external configuration is highly conventional with a very well streamlined fuselage and forward-set flight deck. The fuselage is lined with porthole windows for the passenger cabin and sports typical entry/exit doors. Wings are swept and low-mounted on the fuselage, each managing an underslung engine nacelle. The empennage is typical of the aircraft class, fielding a single vertical tail fin with low-set horizontal planes. The undercarriage is designed for typical runway abuse and includes a pair of dual-wheeled main legs and a dual-wheeled nose leg. All are retractable at their respective positions.